Sunday, June 17, 2012

Haven't blogged in awhile, because I haven't seen much that I considered blogworthy. Happens I guess. I stumbled upon this article while reviewing potential collaborations, and this will immediately become required reading in my sophomore level AT course. In our field, we often speak of working collaboratively with other disciplines, and in fact, on clinical rotations students will often witness/participate in discussions/debates with other health care professionals addressing the student athlete. While learning to practice interdisciplinary care is in my opinion the best option for athletes, it can admittedly be at times difficult and/or frustrating.
Some key points prior to reading the article:
1. Understand that most everyone is coming from an angle in which they believe that their plan of care is the BEST way for the athlete to heal and return to activity in a safe and expedient way.
2. Listen. Listen to counterpoints; often times we tend to "zero in" on orthopedic or gen med issues as they are presented from faculty or textbooks. As we all know, unfortunately cases do not always present this way, and we can learn much from other professionals who have experience in dealing with those issues.
3. Share knowledge. Don't be afraid to speak your mind in a calm and professional demeanor. Emotion tends to force others into a defensive stance, which can alter the level of care for the athlete.
4. More is more. I love this adaptation to "less is more". The more information you and your colleagues have, the more informed decisions can be made, and outcomes can be enhanced (read: improved standard of care).
I have been fortunate enough to work closely with nurses and nursing students the past several years during our coursework in the Dominican Republic, and the exchange of knowledge in both directions has made me much more informed regarding general medical conditions; including signs, symptoms and overall management. Working side by side on real patients has incredible benefits, including my own progression as a clinician.

Musculoskeletal Special Tests

About Me

Ben Towne, MA, ATC serves as clinical assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire. Towne has treated a variety of athletes at the recreational, high school, collegiate and elite level. He has more than 14 years of experience educating undergraduate students and providing athletic training services to the physically active. He serves as an athletic trainer for the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Teams, most recently at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. He has lead athletic training students to the Dominican Republic on twelve occasions to provide care for those less fortunate. He has presented at the state and national level on service learning in athletic training. He was awarded the 2011 USM Outstanding Faculty Involvement Award and was a recipient of the 2011 Maine Campus Compact Donald Harward Award for Service Learning Excellence. Towne has served on the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) International Committee and as the NATA liaison to the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association.